Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has achieved a significant milestone with the launch of the Tanzanite Portal system, marking a new era of efficiency for communication service providers in the country.
The Tanzanite Portal integrates communication service providers of various sizes across Tanzania, aiming to enhance operational efficiency and provide a more transparent user experience.
Dr. Jabiri Bakari, TCRA Director General, highlighted the transformative impact of the Tanzanite Portal, stating that it revolutionizes the way TCRA serves its customers. The platform streamlines communication services applications and services, offering a comprehensive range of services with simplicity and user-friendliness.
The state-of-the-art regulatory system improves registration processes for communication products and services, facilitating the issuance of communication sector licenses in categories such as Telecommunication, Internet, Postal, and Broadcasting.
The system also simplifies fee payment procedures, manages customer-regulator feedback, and facilitates Know Your Customer administrative procedures. Dr. Bakari expressed confidence that the system will enhance the delivery of regulatory services, ensuring stakeholders feel well-served.
Key features of the Tanzanite Portal include a singular application window for all license types, certification of electronic devices, a robust residential address database, and a dedicated service desk for handling customer complaints.
The platform enables the submission of license applications without the need for physical visits to TCRA offices, representing a notable advancement in convenience.
Dr. Bakari emphasized the system’s role in efficient planning, allocation, and tracking of postal codes for residential addresses. It manages customer feedback and provides licensed service providers with essential regulatory information, streamlining interactions and ensuring prompt responses.
The Tanzanite Portal promotes transparency and accountability within the regulatory environment, simplifying the approval process for electronic devices (Online Type Approval). Citizens and communication license holders can now verify the legitimacy of services using a mobile phone through the USSD code 15052#, gaining control over unauthorized communication service providers.
Stakeholders in the communication sector, including online news content providers and installers of electronic communication devices, commended TCRA for its forward-thinking approach. Communication service provider Lucas Masanja acknowledged the platform’s capability to streamline license application and renewal procedures, enhancing overall efficiency.
Online content stakeholder and journalist Chalila Kibuda praised TCRA’s commitment to positive reforms, expressing optimism about the platform’s potential to aid online journalists in acquiring licenses and essential information. Kibuda anticipates that the initiative will facilitate a smoother and more accessible licensing process, benefiting the broader landscape of online journalism.
The updates followed routine press briefings by the regulatory DG, who has established a practice of quarterly press briefings for journalists regarding sector trends and providing them with up-to-date sector performance reports accessible on the regulator’s websites.